An ink jet printing apparatus forms an image on a medium by discharging ink droplets from nozzles according to an image signal. One type of the ink jet printing apparatus is of a piezoelectric element type. An ink jet printing apparatus of the piezoelectric element type has an ink jet head that includes a nozzle plate having a nozzle and a driving element (actuator) that causes ink to be discharged through the nozzle. When the ink is discharged through the nozzle, the ink passing through the nozzle may contact the driving element of the nozzle plate. By the ink contacting the driving element (e.g., electrodes of the driving elements), the driving element may be damaged and the property of the ink that contacts the driving element may be changed.